Real or not Real

Sometimes I just think did the past few months really happen? they went by so fast and so much amazing things happened. I sit and wonder did I really meet some of the coolest people ever that I'm proud to call them family, did I live in Hawaii and then take off to Cambodia for a few months to go serve the God that I didn't  even know if he existed or not before I started this great adventure?? Now that I'm home it all just seems like a blur. Now that I'm home I try and take new steps in the future, but so often I find my self trying to dwell in the past. Sometimes I just want to live in the memories of the past because its easier. I'm scared of the future. I'm scared of what it hold. I'm scared because I don't know whats gonna happen. For the first time ever in my short 19 years I've always known whats next, its either been decided by my parents or it's just right there in front of me, but this time I'm at a loss. I've always been one who tries to live in the moment so when I went on this adventure I never really gave it a clear thought to what I was really gonna do when I got home. I was planning on going down to Panama with YWAM Ships, but God quietly closed the door on that, letting me know that that was not his plan for me and that being home is where I need to be right now. being home is a lot different then I thought it would be. A lot has changed in the past months while I was gone. I can home to a new house, all my friends where busy with school, and relationships with people had also changed. None of it is bad change its just something I have been having to get used to. one of the biggest changes I've been getting used to is not being in such a God centered environment. There are just so many distractions from God. The thing that i really have been trying to remember is that even though life is changing God isn't. God hasn't changed. I have to remember that even though this might not seem like the grandest adventure I need to trust in God for all that he has in my life.
Sail Study Serve Justice  University of The Nations Ships 

The Next Adventure...Hopefully

It's been three weeks since I left the beatiful tropical island of Hawaii and walked into the unimagiably cold Michgan. It's been great to see family and friends that I have been away from for the past five months and share with them what God has done in my life. Although it has been hard leaving behind the awesome people that I had met an became so close with during my YWAM DTS. Before I left Hawaii God had presented an awesome opportunity in front of me. God has just recently given YWAM Ships a new base down in Panama and they have a ship over in Sanfransicso California that they want to get down to the new base down in Panama. The reason they want to get the  boa down to Panama is because it is right in the middle of isolated indigeoness indians that are basically unreached given their remoteness.  The base is perfectly located to reach them with boats all within a couple of days sail. Currently   trying to reach them you have to drive 3 days in a four wheeled drive vehicle and then hike in a few days to reach them as there are no roads.  With the ship the boat can pull right alongside them drop the anchor and minister to them for as long as needed only returning to base for more provisions and medial supplies. The  opportunity placed in front of me is jumping on the boat in Sanfransicso and helping crew the boat all they way down to Panama. Im still in need about $900 before I would head out in the beginning of April for the work I'll be helping with on the boat in. If you feel called to donate you can donate to: http://www.gofundme.com/7fojo8 

Or you can go to the donate tab and click on the link there to donate!

Prayer  is another big thing that is needed as I go into this. Thank you all so much for your prayers and support. 

As one Adventure Comes to a Close

As the adventure comes to a close it has yet to hit me that soon I will be in the snowy cold state of Michigan and leaving the tropical paradise I have called home for the past five months. Its been so nice being back in hawaii. So much as happened in the past five months. I have done some of the coolest things that I have ever done, gone to some sweet places and meet some of the most amazing people that I have ever met. I think one of the hardest things about this adventure coming to a close is having to say goodbye. I've really realized that I hate saying good bye to people. It's crazy how close you can get to people after only knowing them for about five months. God truly has done some awesome things in my life. He is indescribable. When you choose to follow God and choose to be obedient even when you really don't want to be things start to happen. God has shown his love to me in this adventure and I can't wait to follow god into the next adventure.  The biggest thing that god had tough me through this adventure is that he is real and even though I don't see him he is faith full. I guess I was always looking for some traumatic thing to happen and then God would be there  and then I could believe that he was real. But it's about looking for God even in the little things as well as the big things and its about having faith. It's the faith to hope onto a plane to go to hawaii for five months where you know no one whats so ever or now very much information about what exactly you are getting your self into. It's faith to go to Cambodia when that's not the place you want to go. Since being back I've realized that I am so glad that I got to go to Cambodia. God has also thought me about his patience that he has a plan and not to rush because he has the perfect timing. As this adventure comes to a close I'm so excited to see what Gods next adventure is. Thank you all so much for your prayers and support as I've gone through this adventure!! 

Choices

So much of the things we do in life is the result of the choices we make. Everyday we are faced with so many choices some big some small like should I brush my teeth today, or should I go to college after dts. sometimes I feel like the choices I make are so small that I dont really even give it much though I just am quick to make a decision and move on with life. sometimes I make good choices and sometimes I make bad choices like jumping off a 35 foot cliff landing smack on my butt and having to suffer with a black butt for a few weeks. choices effect the way you end you end up living. To be perfectly honest I was not excited to go to Cambodia. I was given the choice between four different outreach locations and when I first heard them I knew that i wanted to go to Fiji and be on the boat. when i went off on my own to pray about it God told me to go to Cambodia. I had never felt so strongly about God wanting me to do something, mainly because before I just did what I wanted do and didnt even consult God. when I first felt go to Cambodia I was like no God I want to go be on the boat we are gonna try this again and your gonna tell me to go to Fiji. But when I prayed again God told me Cambodia. I had to choice to go on the boat but i just couldn't do it I knew I wanted to trust God in this and follow in obedience. I was very unsure about my choice and I talked to many people about it. After it was finalized that I was going to Cambodia there was a lot of grumbling and bitterness that came along with it. I cant really say why I didnt want to got there other than it wasnt where I wanted to go. I was not happy I hated my team, I hated to smell of Cambodia, I hated the food, really I just hated every thing that was related to do with Cambodia. One thing that God has really tought me is that happiness is a choice. I choose to be happy. If I wanted to have a horrible outreach then I would,which is what I was making it in the beginning. I was throughing the worlds biggest pity party. God can't force us to be happy, he's not gonna force us to do anything. It is still my biggest struggle here to be happy when things get stressful or I get irriiated I just want to go back to my grumbling. I was challenged to stay possative and me thankful for a whole week and I found it so hard. I just had so many negative thoughts, but in the end it really made me start to appreciate things more. Like the opportunities I have been blessed with. I have really realized though when I make the choice to be happy and positive I truly enjoy myself here and I begin to be glad I'm here in Cambodia. I've also realized that it's not about the location that I want to be in it's about the work that I am doing. To go out and serve God and to follow him and be obedient to what he calls me to do and I should be happy in doing it. I have no regrets about coming to Cambodia.I'm so thankful for the adventures god has taken me on and for the adventures that are still to come!!

Throw up Thursday

This week I have experienced on of my worst adventure during this whole journey. Being sick in a third world county. So far almost the whole team is getting sick. Other than getting sick these past couple of weeks have been really good. About a week ago we loaded up our stuff, left Siem Reap and  headed pack to Phnom Phen. Since being back in here it isn't as bad as the first time here. I've really began to adjust to the busy city living of Phnom Phen. We've had a very busy schedule working with a lot of different ministries. A couple of days out off the week we are working with a few displacement villages where the government have robbed people of their land back in Phnom Phen and moved them in to the middle of know where with no homes and jobs. The other ministries we are working with are ministries involving sex trafficking. One of the hardest things for me to see is when we where taken into the read light districet and just seeing Weastern men flirting and touching the girls they had boughten for the night was something my mind couldn't even wrap seeping the fact that what I was seeing was really happening. One thing that God has really been teach me the past few weeks are to slow down and take the time to enjoy where I'm at. Even here on this once and a life time experience I find my self worrying about what's next rather than focus on where god has placed me and focus on what God wants me to be doing. I love the way Louie Gigleo put it by saying God isn't in a hurry, God takes his time with things like when he created the world he took his time creating it. So far in life I've always known what the next step for me so I've really had to relax and relize I need to stop worrying about what's next and stop rushing my time here.

Happy New Year!!!!!

Happy New Year!!!! It's much different celebrating New Years in a different country. Here in Siem Reap a lot of tourist come to celebrate the new year. It doesn't feel much like New Years right now. I can't believe how much has happened this year as I reflect back on 2013. I must say so much has happened this year. For starters I graduate high school and now I'm sitting in a country half way around the world. This year has been one of the best years of my life. I remember that the year started out with me and my two best friends sleeping in the baptism tub at our church where me and my one best friend decided that our New Years resolution would be to see each other every day of the year even if that involved FaceTimeimg each other when we still lived only about 15 minutes away from each other. Of course like most New Years resolutions it only lasted for about a week. Also this past years I had one of the best summers. It started with me being a leader on a high school boating trip. Then I ended up working at a summer camp where I met some of the greatest people who really helped me grow this summer and getting to just be at camp was a blast. From camp that's where this crazy wild adventure that I'm on now began. Since I arrived in Hawaii I had learned so much. I really began to learn and this for my self. I've been able to gain experience in situations that I'd never experience and have been able to develope my own worldview outside of what my parents have thought me. I've learned how to live in community which was a huge thing for me to go from never sharing a room to living in a room with four strangers. I've also found God this year and have been able to grow and really have a true relationship with him.  Now as I sit half way around the world I relize how blessed I am for the family and friends I have and for this great opportunists god has blessed me with. I relieze how much I take for grantied. All the days here in Cambodia where I spend counting down the days till I go home just because I'm annoyed by the people I'm with or I'm sick of the food, or I feel like I'm about to pass out because I'm not used to the Cambodia diet. I relize that all those days I take for grantied I should be happy with where I'm at. Cambodia might not have been my first choice for out reach locations,but god told me to go here. God has me here for a reason I have absolutley no clue what that reason is but I want to enjoy every moment of it. Today our team was really able to connect and able to talk about things it was really an answer to prayers then we went down to the main tourist spot to see the crowded craziness of everyone celebrating the last hours of 2013. I really can't wait for what god has planed for me for 2014. 2013 was awesome and I'm so ready for what god has in store for me this year. This year I want to listen and follow god in obedience. Where ever god takes me I can't wait!!

Comforts of Home

When I hear my roommate singing Christmas songs reality sets in. When she sings I'm dreaming of I white Christmas I realize that I won't be having a white Christmas. I realize that I'll have a hot dusty Christmas. When I hear I'll be home for Christmas it strikes me that this is the frist Christmas that I won't be home, and that for my family it will truly only be in their dreams. Here in Cambodia Christmas is viewed so much differently than in western culture. Where as I am used to Christmas being a time for family to get together and celebrate the birth of Jesus and just a time for family. Here in Cambodia it's a mostly buddest culture so they don't really celebrate Christmas. The Christians in Cambodia see Christmas as a time to reach out to the buddest community and minister to them.  As I think about the Christmas store I think about how god could have saved us in any way he wanted. He's God he's all mighty and so powerful he can do what ever he wants. Gods love and forgiveness is such a big consept for me to graspe that some this I sit in awe about how loved I am by God. He loves us so much that he took his one and only son to earth to die for us. To take away any sins that we have. He could have sent his son in any way, he could have sent him to be born in a palace and made it known to the world that he is the son of God so we should turn from our wicked ways and worship him. But rather God hunbley took his son out of the comforts and wonders of heaven and sent him to be born in a stable. I do really miss being with my family and friends during this holiday season. And missing out on the traditions like getting a new pair of pajamas, doing communion, and reading the Jonathan tuomey store that are still taking place even though I'm half way around the world, I realize that that's not what Christmas is about it's about Jesus and his coming to earth and the amazing gift that he gave to us. So I hope that you all have a merry Christmas and a happy New Years!!!